In present conventional aircraft construction, the window frames are predominantly manufactured as forged aluminum components. In order to reduce the weight of the window frames and thereby save weight in the overall aircraft construction, it is desired to manufacture aircraft window frames of fiber reinforced synthetic plastic materials.
For fabricating structural elements from fiber reinforced synthetic materials, it has previously been the practice to use textile intermediate products, so-called semi-finished materials or semi-finished articles such as woven webs and braided materials. At the end of the manufacturing process that produces the respective semi-finished material, the material is applied in or on an intermediate carrier. In the case of a woven web as the semi-finished material, the intermediate carrier may, for example, be a cylindrical body upon which the woven web material is wrapped or wound as an encircling strip. The geometry of such an intermediate carrier does not serve for preforming or reforming the configuration of the semi-finished material, but instead merely serves as an auxiliary support for transporting and storing the semi-finished material. During the course of the further manufacturing process, the semi-finished material or article is again removed from the intermediate carrier body, and is then processed, handled, or made up as necessary, and is then finally brought into the desired form or configuration of the required preform, by carrying out reorienting and reforming (e.g. draping) of the fiber body of the semi-finished material.
The fiber material of the preform can be fixed through the use of a binder. The typically used binder systems mainly comprise thermoplastic substances, which are applied onto the semi-finished material, for example in the form of a powder, and are then activated under the influence of temperature. In addition to fixing or securing the fiber orientation of the fibrous material, the binder systems can also be used to fix the resulting preform into a densified or compacted state.